


Parallel

by BlueflowersandWings



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Heavy Angst, M/M, Mystery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Suicidal Thoughts, Trauma, Triggers, dark!fic, heavy triggers and non-con elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-16 03:57:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18086966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueflowersandWings/pseuds/BlueflowersandWings
Summary: "Hey, I know this might sound weird but, do us a favour, and don't come out of your rooms at night, strictly. Some students say that someone- or something- lurks around the school at night, and though they're all rumours, I don' want any of us to get hurt."After toiling hard for three years, and learning to overcome his past demons, Tsukishima is very satisfied when he gets admitted to one of the most renowned colleges of Tokyo. His life was about to change- about to get right again-, but a fateful encounter with a former volleyball captain throws his life into a loop, and this time, Tsukishima doesn't know how to run away, being so far away from home.To Kuroo, his life had stopped, frozen in time, at the exact moment he had let himself fall, and commit the most heinous mistake of his life. He had spent the last three years trying to get over it, forcing himself to believe in something that was untrue, and hiding his guilt and pain away. He was confident he wasn't going to crack again, but after meeting a certain blonde boy during his second year of college, he thinks that it might be impossible after all.Then, someplace far far away, two more people get involved, and it all goes down to hell.





	1. Prologue: Replay

The sky above was overcast with grey, rumbling clouds, and from his place in between the shadows of the remote, abandoned alleyway, the vast, never ending stretch of space looked terribly gloomy, and twice as foreboding. The greyness of the clouds faded into the darkness of rich purple and stormy bluish hues here and there, where the concentration of water vapour was higher than other places, and as a result, this horizon of absolute _nothingness_ posed as a striking, magnificent view, with the occasional grumble and spark of stray thunders and bolts completely riveting his attention to the dangerous, yet enrapturing sight.

  


_Because the most sinful, dangerous things were the most beautiful. Always._

  


A noisy bunch of crows of varying sizes were pecking and cawing and loudly fighting around a couple of overused, stinking trashcans lying not far from him, and with dark, mirthless, sunken eyes and hollow curiosity, the man followed the movements of each of the stray birds as they fought clumsily amongst themselves for power and food, and he doubted if those lowly creatures were aware of his hidden, unmoving presence under the broken streetlight yet. The birds were noisy, ungracefully so, and he didn't know why such a sight held his curiosity so much as it did, but it didn't matter- they provided a bland, slightly predictable source of entertainment to his dry, shrivelled-up soul, and it was bound to have some downsides.

Unblinkingly, stone-faced, he watched as a large, slinking shadow on all fours crept noiselessly behind the bickering group of crows, and with lightning-fast reflexes, it snatched a large piece of stale fish with its mouth- one of the many roadside prizes for which the birds were fighting for-, and proceeded to run away, its long tail swinging happily behind it.

The distracted crows didn't even notice when that calculating monster of a cat slyly took hold of their possession and ran away, and they would have continued fighting, had a sudden, high-pitched and cracked laughter not broken out of the man slumped under the streetlight, with the hideous noise filling the corners of the alley, and bouncing off of the broken, paint-peeled walls. Startled, the black-feathered birds abandoned their activities and flew away from the place and into the thundering, gorgeous sky, and clutching at his stomach painfully hard, the man kept on cackling mirthlessly, maniacally, dry strands of hair sweeping against his face, and narrow eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.

This, _this_ \- this always happened, _every time_ , with everyone. A person, or a group of people fight against someone to take hold of something they both desired, and in the midst of the chaos, another third person appeared, took advantage of it, and ran away with the prize that wasn't rightfully theirs'. Such people were found all over the world, cases like these taking place every moment somewhere or the other, and yet, it kept on happening, and people kept on falling prey to it. _Everyone_ knew it happened, and yet, they let it happen anyways, and despite the predictable, cliche nature of this agenda, no one got any better at handling or preventing it.

  


No one.

Himself included.

  


With a frustrated bout of strength, he smashed his fists on the gravelly, cemented road, his laughter dying out, and his eyes burning with the remnants of physical exertion and buried, destructive feelings. A few stray stone chips littered around the place moved away with the force, while a few dig deep into his skin, drawing out dark droplets of blood, but he didn't seem to feel the pain, nor did he mind the sounds.

Yes, it had happened to him, too, and it was the main reason why he was slumped under the shadows of such a dirty place, and not tucked away comfortably under his blankets at home on such a chilly evening. When he had been busy fighting the world to preserve his work and magic and secrets, to try and create something new, something unimaginable, extraordinary,- something which might have carved out the entire history of this era with its sole existence-, he had been found out, without his knowledge, and then, armed people were suddenly barging into his home one day, and ripping away and destroying everything he had dedicated the whole of his life to. It had been too painful, too excruciating, to see all of his work go up in multicoloured flames, and he had been ready to give it all up, after he knew there was no hope left. But through the blurry haze of mist and smoke and tears and magic, he had spotted two faces- the actual people responsible for his loss, the black cats stealing away something from him which was not theirs,- and suddenly, he didn't know what yielding meant anymore.

  


He wanted revenge.

He wanted revenge, on all of those people who had snatched away his dreams, his love, his work away from him- but more so, he wanted those two to suffer, just like he had, and just like he wanted them to.

  


He wanted them to feel their dreams being crushed, feel the pain and horror of their life and freedom being taken away from them; he wanted them to feel everything that he had been forced to endure- but it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough, and it would never be. He wanted them to rip _each other_ apart, feel the pain that they could inflict on _themselves_ , feel their lives being destroyed just because they couldn't understand each other as well as they did now- as well as they did when they destroyed his life together. He wanted them to cling together, like the sick lovebirds they were, and then become the very poison that would incinerate their partner inside out, and they wouldn't be able to stop it.

He wanted them- those two people who were the main reason behind him losing everything in his life-, he wanted them to destroy _each other_ , and then feel the brunt of what they had consciously done, and suffer throughout their whole lives for it. He wanted them to suffer not in death, but within the living, and he wanted to see that happen with his own two eyes, and be the reason for their destruction. He had been running away from the law from a very long time, and he was tired- now, he decided that he might even willingly surrender himself to his fate, but after committing his last, and the most serious, deadliest of crimes.

He wanted revenge, and he would get it any way he could- and in any world he would find.

  


_Because vengeance was a sweet, beautiful, dangerous thing, and it remained so in every place in the Universe. Always._

__  


__

_/ / /_

  


The colourful, urban surroundings outside the train window moved past in a blur, the occasional telephone lines being the only constant elements throughout the ever-changing scenery. With lazy, distracted fingers, the young boy skimmed through his notifications as the only available option left to pass the time until he reached his destination, and after ignoring a flurry of junk advertisements and spam mails (he really needed to install some kind of protection against those irritating things), the boy finally came across a decent text from his friend, and opened up the corresponding chat to view the contents clearly.

  


**From Yamaguchi:**  
_Hey Tsukki, call me after you reach, okay? It's really sad that we can't go to the same college to study this time, but we shouldn't give up on traditions! :)_

  


The boy scoffed out in part amusement despite his annoyance, and burying his face deep into the scarf around his neck, so that almost all of his nose remained invisible from the outside view, he considered if he should grace the message with an answer or not, and then, against his better judgement, started typing out a reply anyway.

  


**From You:**  
_Us going to the same places to study every time doesn't make any sense. Also, we don't have any kind of tradition like that._

 **From You:**  
_Shut up, Yamaguchi._

  


He added the last text in for good measure, hoping (though not in all seriousness) that his friend would not reply back, and let him have whatever peace he could indulge in before the journey came to an end. But then again, Yamaguchi was not a person who would _not_ exploit any little chance he could get to open his friend enough to talk freely, and although the boy wasn't at all fond of these overly friendly, talkative advances that were randomly thrown at him, he did appreciate Yamaguchi's presence and persistence, and well, at least he wasn't too annoying to be around. He was bearable.

Though Tsukishima Kei would rather get stabbed by a thousand poisonous needles and die, than admit that thought aloud.

  


_Ping_. As expected, Yamaguchi wasn't one to give up, despite the rude remarks from Tsukishima's side (if he had been even a little more weak-hearted, he would have left the blonde boy a long time ago), and before deciding to check the newest message and maybe give back a decent reply in return, Tsukishima threw a stray glance outside of his seat window, and his eyes caught on a glimpse of his reflection, his image on the glass true to what he really, actually looked.

Soft, shortly-cropped, and pale golden locks framed his unnaturally fair face, and complimented the dark black of the rim of his spectacles which sat snugly upon the bridge of his nose, the rectangular shape of the glass enclosing, but not concealing the beauty his large, bright honey-coloured and gold-freckled eyes. A checked blue cotton scarf with pale white stripes encircled his neck, and stayed atop the collars of his long green jacket, and the yellow shirt underneath. What his window couldn't cover was the image of his long, sculpted legs clad in dark blue, skinny jeans, and his feet covered with a pair of red and white dusty sneakers. A dark sling bag was strapped across his chest, with the rest of his luggage hauled up in the spacious compartments above his head, and for five long minutes, Tsukishima sat observing his reflection on the window, and the messages on his phone went unnoticed.

He hadn't changed much since the last time he had looked at himself properly, but the observation was only partly accurate. He looked the same in appearance overall, but in small, subtle ways, he had grown. His face had grown out of its younger, childish glow, taking on a more matured turn, with firm, high cheekbones, smaller eyes, and a sharper jawline. His shoulders had broadened, his back straightened strong and bold, and his biceps and pectoral muscles had considerably developed. His height had never been a problem, with him almost always being the tallest of his age in a room since childhood, and though he knew that his figure had always been more on the slim, leaner side, he didn't look exactly frail or underfed, either. He didn't look like a teenager anymore- instead, he looked healthy, and strong, and a little more _grown up_ , like an adult, and though it would have been obvious considering his age, Tsukishima felt the realization hit him harder than he expected, and a warm, satisfied feeling buried itself deep into his body.

  


After a long, thorough inspection of his reflection, Tsukishima went back to his phone, reading Yamaguchi's text that went something like _We always call each other when we go someplace new, and that counts as tradition Tsukki!_ , and with a small smile now gracing his features, the blonde boy went back to writing a no doubt snarky, appropriate reply, while the train sped on along the rail tracks, quickly and surely nearing the hustling and busy city of Tokyo.

  


__

_/ / /_

  


The college buildings were far larger than anything he had ever seen, and the general campus, wider and spacious than anything he could have ever imagined, but it was a natural reaction that was expected from someone who had been brought up in a suburban region such as Miyagi, so shrugging off the initial surprise, and instead concentrating on finding the correct way towards his first class on the first day of the session, Tsukishima slung his bag a little higher on his shoulders, and meandered around an equally confused crowd of freshmen in search of directions. It wasn't supposed to be a difficult task, even though he didn't particularly know anyone around here, but the blonde boy had never been one for socialising, and his attempts at asking someone the way were questionable so far.

Growing restless by the second (because his watch indicated that he only had about six minutes left until the start of his first class), Tsukishima turned his head left and right to spot something, _anything_ , that might tell him just where to go, but before he could, there was a scurry and scuffle of different footsteps behind him, an indignant yell of someone with a very loud voice and no consideration for people being affected by deliberate noise pollution, and then, the sound of someone calling out his name.

  


"Tsukishima?"

  


Tsukishima stopped absolutely dead in his tracks.

  


The surroundings around were far from quiet, and the voice that called out to him was nothing but a small, choked whisper, but Tsukishima caught it anyways. Against the backdrop of loud noises and yelps and excited murmurs, the blonde boy caught only onto that particular mumble of his name, and it wasn't surprising, nor was it unexpected. Even if he would not have been standing here, but maybe in the most crowded, noisiest place on Earth, he would have heard that voice- and _only_ that one-, even then. And why?

  


Because Tsukishima would recognize that voice anywhere.

  


Slowly, with shock and apprehension and dread filtering into his systems and muddling up his brain, the boy turned around, on his heels, knowing full well that he should not, but doing so anyways. He knew what to see, what to expect, even though he hadn't imagined this scenario to take place even in his wildest of dreams, but he turned around anyways, because he realized that nothing had changed from back then. He couldn't resist the pull of that voice however he tried, both then and now, and he knew it would be futile to try. He knew it would be useless resisting against it, but it crumbled down his sanity all the same.

Even though it had been so many years, even though he had changed so much, _grown up_ , Tsukishima realized that he still couldn't let go of that part of himself that he had unconsciously submitted to the other guy since the first time they had ever properly conversed, and though the thought of turning around and bolting away did cross his mind, Tsukishima knew that in the end, he wouldn't be able to do it, wouldn't be able to fight the pull,- and the fact aggravated his senses just as much as it scared him.

  


Just a second before he properly turned to face the person, Tsukishima desperately hoped that it would _not_ be the only person he _knew_ it was to be, but when he opened his eyes and took in the view of the familiar, yet subtly changed features of lightly tanned skin, naturally broad shoulders, sculpted build, an atrocious hairstyle, and sharp, glinting golden-hazel eyes, Tsukishima saw his own shocked, mortified expression being reflected in the warmth of the eyes that once used to annoy and mystify him to no end, and even though he had expected this, his stomach dropped drearily into the pits of oblivion, his gut twisting with a hideous mix of emotions, and his voice reduced to nothing but a cracked, choking undertone.

  


"...Kuroo?"

  


Tsukishima mumbled out in a terrified trance, as if his mind could still not decide whether to deem the situation a reality, or just a horrific figment of his imagination. But when he saw the other, older boy's face morph into the same disastrous expression of shock and disbelief, his mouth parting into an 'o' and as if mirroring Tsukishima's own, twisted sentiments, the blonde boy finally registered that this was really happening to him, that this was reality,- and for the first time in a long, long while, Tsukishima was torn between trembling in fear and bursting into tears, or letting out an anguished scream and running away.

  


This was not happening, this could _not_ happen to him again; he was sick of this, of this raw, guttural panic that forced through his system, rendering him fearful, and in delusional pain. He could not let this happen, he couldn't face the past that he had spend so much time trying to forget and bury and run away from. He couldn't let all those things happen to him again, he just couldn't, but this was _happening_.

The source of all of his suffering was standing just in front of him, after all these years, and Tsukishima didn't really know what to do, except registering the faint feeling of wanting to stab his insides out, and _die_.

  



	2. Stuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo tries to adjust to Tsukishima's reappearance, Tsukishima tries to adjust to his new life. Both of them decide to leave the distance between them as it was, but just how far can they actually be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, as I said, this chapter might clear a little bit of confusion from the prologue, about Tsukishima's feelings and all that. This isn't a dialogue heavy chapter, though the next one is definitely going to be, and well *SPOILER ALERT* I really loved writing Bokuto and Kuroo's non-verbal exchanges very much. i hope all of you like them too. Also, stick around the ending please, cuz a surprise is coming up!
> 
> I'm still freaked out at how fast I finished this chapter, but well, now that it's here, I'm just gonna wish everyone a happy reading, and well, hopefully, I'll meet you guys downstairs! :))
> 
> ALSO, heads up, i don't know anything about college and stuff, nothing at all, so if you find any mistake (which I'm sure you might find), then just blame it on my lack of adequate knowledge and experience. Enjoy!~

  


_"Hey, what're you doing out here? Didn't Yaku tell you not to come out of your rooms at night?"_

_A bored, casual reply, though misty golden eyes widen slightly in surprise. "I couldn't sleep. Also, aren't _you_ out of your room at night, too?"_

_"Huh?" A light-hearted, amused smirk, with hazel eyes glinting mischievously. "I came out here to check up on you, and this is how you thank me?"_

  


_**"...Kuroo?"** _

  


The lecturer pacing back and forth at the podium, in front of the class, was animatedly saying something to the students, loudly explaining something related to the chemical constituents of starch in biologically diverse plants, but Kuroo couldn't care less about academics as of the moment. Sitting at the far back of the class, on one of the almost empty last rows, his shaky fingers dug deep into his spiky, dark hair, as he kept his eyes straight on the desk under his elbows, his gaze almost boring holes into the wood, and an uprising revolt of buried thoughts and memories wreaking havoc in his mind.

His day had been going perfectly fine, great, even- waking up just five minutes after his alarm buzzed, Kuroo had hastily got ready for college, indulged in a quick breakfast of milk and cereal, and halfway through his journey, met up with Akaashi and Bokuto, waiting for him at the road intersection, as usual. Because it was the first day of their second year in college, Bokuto had naturally been very loud and excited, a childlike bounce in his strong, springy steps, and unbothered at Akaashi's expected aloofness, the owlish-haired boy had struck up a fun conversation with Kuroo instead.

  


"Kuroo?"

  


Kuroo had, in turn, told them about his loud neighbour at the flat adjacent to him, who had moved out about a week earlier, and how he wished that his new neighbour would at least have the decency to think about the people living around, before turning up the volume of his rock music blasting through the speakers. Bokuto had amicably crossed his fingers and prayed for his friend, while Akaashi had simply turned his head back, and with a straight face, proceeded to narrate the incident of how, two days earlier, one of the students living beside their shared apartment, had managed to sneak a girl in his room after a whole night of partying, obviously hoping for a good lay, and at the morning, when Bokuto had been going out for grocery shopping, the student had collided with him, and then realized that he had been roaming the corridors without wearing his pants, all along. 

The narrative had Kuroo cackling loudly like a madman in the middle of the sidewalk, and all throughout their journey to the campus, and when the trio had stepped inside the large wrought-iron gates of the college, his bright mood could have easily rivalled the noonday sun.

  


"Kuroo."

  


That is, until he had glanced around and by chance, spotted the familiar form of _Tsukishima_ standing tall among the crowd of freshers, yet looking equally confused. Kuroo's mind had drawn a sudden blank, his body freezing abruptly, and with bated breath, he didn't even know when he had mumbled out the boy's name unconsciously, until the damage was already done. Tsukishima didn't look like he had expected to see Kuroo either, and the raven haired boy was still confused as to who, out of the two of them, had turned their back, and fled away from the other first.

  


Also, that expression on Tsukishima's face when he saw Kuroo, was something the raven never wanted to see in his life, ever again.

  


He still could not believe it, even though it had nearly been an hour since he had stepped into his first class of the day with dazed, shocked eyes, and just a bit of paranoia. What exactly in the world was Tsukishima Kei doing _here_? This was not real- this, this could not be real. This could not happen to him again, but it was still _happening_.

  


"Hey, Kuroo!"

  


Kuroo's attention reverted back to his surroundings, as a large, crushed ball of paper flew violently towards him, and hit his nose directly, painfully. A loud whisper of his name carried from a bench a little ahead of him, and jolting back to his senses, Kuroo spotted Bokuto looking back at him with a big pout on his face, accompanied by an exaggerated glare. His large hands were waving at Kuroo frantically, even though the class was far from over, and a little urgently, Kuroo gestured at his friend to keep his hands down, lest the teacher spotted him. Taking out his phone from his pocket, the raven haired boy pointed at the dark screen to Bokuto, indicating him to text instead of whispering and throwing crumpled balls of chemical formulas at his face in the middle of class, but Bokuto only frowned and shook his head, and Kuroo squinted confusedly.

Tired of keeping up with this random sign language exchange, Kuroo opened up his phone, punched in the password, and found the private chat of him and Bokuto, intent on texting the energetic boy himself. But it was then when he noticed the number of unread messages gracing the chat already, and suddenly, Bokuto's unique mode of communication made perfect sense. Apparently, Kuroo had zoned out into his thoughts so much, that he hadn't even felt the vibration of the incoming notifications in his pant pocket, causing Bokuto to throw his own formula sheets back at his face.

  


Kuroo felt a sharp stab of guilt tear his insides. Since when had he started to ignore his friends, too?  


  


**From Bokuto:**  
_Hey man, this class is so boring! The prof moves his hands more than he speaks, but I still can't get a thing! :(((_

 **From Bokuto:**  
_I think im gonna fail biochem this year. Remind me why i ever decided to try this out?_

 **From Bokuto:**  
_Hey, from the way you're glaring at the desk, it might just go up in flames, Kuroo, and then we'll have to call the fire brigade. What'cha thinkin' bro?_

 **From Bokuto:**  
_Atleast answer your phone man! :((_

  


A small sigh left his lips, though Kuroo did admit that Bokuto's texts helped him forget his problems for a moment. Trying to push down the huge wave of unwanted memories and remorse that threatened to override his conscience any moment, Kuroo began typing out an appropriate reply to his friend's messages, and from the corner of his eyes, he saw Bokuto look down at his own phone expectantly.

  


**From You:**  
_Sorry, Bo. Just got a lot on my mind right now._

 **From You:**  
_Also, with the way you are so excellently progressing, I have absolutely no doubt that you're going to fail biochem this year ;))_

  


The reply to his texts were almost instantaneous.

  


**From Bokuto:**  
_Don't insult me like that man! I swear I'm going to score more than you in this subject, and then see who fails!!! Akaashi says im doing better with the formulas!! :))_

**From Bokuto:**  
_Also, what do you mean by that? Did something happen Kuroo?? You know you can talk to me, damn biochemistry._

  


Kuroo didn't know how to answer the texts without giving anything away, but he appreciated Bokuto's concern, he really did. If there was one thing in his life that he was grateful for having, then it would certainly be the few little, but genuine friends who had indebted him with their constant support and company. And though, sometimes, it felt like he should just forget everything and come clean to them, about what really happened to him (and to another, no doubt still affected person) three years ago, he knew that that burden was only his to bear, the little punishment he deserved for destroying everything in both his and Tsukishima's life with just a single mistake, and Kuroo Tetsurou would not let anyone else bear the brunt of his own stupidity,- _again_ -, even if he caved in, and died from the insane pressure of his emotions.

After all, he truly deserved a death like that. He really deserved _this_. What he didn't deserve was the crazy friend he found in Bokuto, but selfishly, he wanted to make him stay anyway.

  


**From You:**  
_It's nothing big, so don't you worry, Bo._

 **From You:**  
_Also, no offence, but chemistry is my own subject, so like hell you're going to score better. I still can't figure out how Akaashi keeps on tolerating you though- isn't living together with you kinda painful? To the ears, I mean, and to his sanity ;)))_

  


The indignant squeak Bokuto made would have been amusing in other circumstances, but this time, Kuroo only huffed in relief, as he knew Bokuto had given up that certain topic of conversation. He never really liked manipulating people, but Kuroo had an uncanny gift of acting and provocation, along with observation, and truth to be told, it did help him in getting out of sticky situations. Furthermore, despite his tall, ripped build, Bokuto had always been a little gullible and oblivious like that, at least around the people he blindly knew and trusted, and though his own conscience guilt-tripped him from using that to his advantage, Kuroo knew he couldn't afford to let anything slip.

With heavy-lidded eyes, and a heavier heart, Kuroo quietly stared at the blinking dots on his phone screen, which indicated that Bokuto was still typing out a response, and his mind drew back towards the incident in the morning, and around the tall blonde boy he had vowed to never contact again in his life. Only this time, against his better judgement, his thoughts spiralled down the terrifying memory lane a few years old, and as the horrific memories resurfaced in his mind yet again, Kuroo let out a shuddering breath, and decided that it was enough. Quietly, he closed off his phone screen, got up from his seat, and heaving his bag on one shoulder, he left the biochemistry lecture just as dazedly as he had entered it.

  


He never got around to check Bokuto's petulant, capitalized reply, nor did he once look back to meet the large golden eyes that confusedly followed his back silently leaving the classroom. He knew he would have to do a lot of explaining to his friend, if he wanted to keep up his casual facade, because oblivious or not, Bokuto was anything but dense when it came to picking out the depth of situations, and ignoring it would only play to Kuroo's disadvantage. He was too tired of thinking up excuses though- maybe he would try later, after getting a good night's sleep today-, and slowly, he trudged out of the building, and into the open campus. He proceeded to take a seat into one of the numerous benches around, this one being just under a large, shady tree, and as he blankly stared out into the sky, and maybe at the one or two students who roamed around the place during their free period, Kuroo decided that if he needed to continue his life in a healthy manner, he needed to come to a decision.

He didn't know what he could do about Tsukishima- he knew that the blonde was definitely studying here, and it would be years until he left the campus. Kuroo's only consolation was that he would not be seeing much of the blonde anytime soon, because Tsukishima was a fresher, and he was a second year, and if he could keep that distance up, then he would never have to run into the blonde again. Maybe, they would meet a little at the corridors, outside of the classes, but if their classes didn't coincide- which he was sure they wouldn't- then Kuroo could handle something like that. He would take care to see that he would not be noticed by Tsukishima, or at least, they would not have to converse, and Kuroo was going to spare him the pain of interacting with the senior any way he could.

Moreover, he didn't know if he himself could handle something like that, but he was sure that he didn't wanted to try, and Tsukishima didn't, either. If he just tried hard, gave it his best shot, then they could ignore each other's presence completely, and slowly, their life could go back to normal.

  


Or, as normal as it always had been, after that incident that took place in his last volleyball training camp in high school, three years ago. Tiredly, Kuroo closed his eyes, and tried not to think about anything, nothing at all, as a deep, dark cover of sleep thickly overcame him.

  


__

_/ / /_

  


To Tsukishima, his first day of college felt like absolute hell.

  


One of the first problems that he had to face was the absence of proper directions throughout the buildings, even after he had barely managed to locate his first class of the day. He was pretty sure he could read Japanese, but wherever he turned, he was met with half-painted, colourful banners advertising senior group activities, instead of guiding arrows, and several ancient bulletin boards with a spectacular lack of information. All throughout the day, Tsukishima had to roam around the campus aimlessly, trying to make a sense of his surroundings, and constantly mapping the places in his mind. This had caused him to be late to a couple of classes, but by the end of the day, he could easily wander about the buildings, without getting hopelessly lost.

The second problem that seemed to affect almost everyone of his batch, including himself, were the classes itself. After being so accustomed to having teachers who explained each and every facet of a problem in excruciating detail, it was hard to keep up with the pace of his studies here. The professors here were quick, concise in their teachings, and rapid in their explanations. Taking down notes for each class turned out to be especially difficult, even though Tsukishima was generally very good at following dictation. It all proved just how much more he had to grow up from what he was in high school, and it was going to take some time to get used to.

But well, if something had to be done, then he needed to do it. He was getting a hang of college anyway.

All in all, most of the problems that he faced since he came here, had some sort of solution to them, no matter how far-fetched. But the last, and the biggest, most unexpected of all problems in his life was still prevailing, or well, being avoided, and he really didn't know what to do about it.

  


Kuroo Tetsurou.

He was Tsukishima's biggest problem.

  


But then again, he wasn't a problem. Rather, he was Tsukishima's biggest _fear_.

And regret.

  


With tired, clambering footsteps, Tsukishima walked out of his last class of the day, almost all of his energy drained away from his body, and a scowl etched permanently on his face. He was tired, overwhelmed, and confused, and though he had lunch in the cafeteria just a couple of hours ago, he still felt hungry. He never had a fast metabolism, nor much of an appetite to begin with, but with how exhausted he felt, Tsukishima suspected that that would very surely change.

On his way, he collided harshly with someone walking in the opposite direction, but Tsukishima didn't stop- he didn't offer any apology, nor did he look exactly into whom he had bumped, but just kept walking. He remembered that he hadn't had time to call neither his mother nor Yamaguchi since he came to Tokyo, and begrudgingly, he decided he would do just that when he returned to his apartment. He couldn't avoid it forever.

  


Truth to be told, Tsukishima would have been in a far better mood, if not equally irritated, had he not encountered Kuroo first thing inside the campus. The panic he had felt when their eyes met, the breathlessness that had coursed his body throughout, and the heavy onslaught of almost physically painful memories, when he had turned his back on the senior and _ran_ away- those feelings were a lot subdued now, but the blonde boy still remembered just how dreadful his first class of the day had been.

His first class had consisted of an introductory speech for the freshmen, and a few starting chapters of his major, but Tsukishima had only known that because he heard some students discussing how utterly bland the first speech had been. Tsukishima hadn't heard anything in the class, sitting at one far corner of the room- he _couldn't_ hear anything, and even if he did, they didn't register properly. His mind had turned numb, his body stiff. His brain had been whirring uncontrollably with panic, eyes looking around in trepidation, lest he saw Kuroo nearby anywhere, and his heartbeat had trebled. He exited the class as everyone got up, and by then he had considerably calmed down, but later, he realized just how much damage it could cause to his studies. Maybe that was why he couldn't find any directions, too.

When the haze of memories- of dark, shadowy places, and rough, burning hands- had cleared away, Tsukishima had decided to forget everything for the moment, and concentrate on college- and it had been the best decision. He had been a little jumpy around the corridors, full of seniors, but by the end of the day, he had survived through all of his problems. Still, it was all because he had met Kuroo- it was all because he had met the _one_ person he had never wanted to see again in his life again, and if he wanted to keep from losing his sanity, then he needed to avoid something like that from happening again.

Kuroo had seemed equally shocked to see him though, so at least, Tsukishima was sure this wasn't planned or conspired in any way. If he wanted to stay sane, then he would have to stay away from him any way he could, and with that thought in mind, he climbed up the steps to his apartment, all to the third floor, and fished out the keys to the door from his pant pocket.

  


Tsukishima had to hand it to Akiteru, to find such a place in the heart of the city and at such affordable prices, on such a short notice. Despite being busy with his job as a coach at a volleyball training centre, his brother had fussed over Tsukishima coming to Tokyo more than he himself had, and arranged for an apartment for him to stay. The earlier resident had moved away about a week earlier, and Tsukishima only managed a glance of the rooms in the morning, before he was leaving for college right away. As he pushed in his key into the keyhole and opened the lock, the door to the flat adjacent to his opened, and it was then when Tsukishima remembered that he was going to have some neighbours too.

  


When his closest neighbour walked out though, clad only in a pair of black shorts and a crumpled red shirt, Tsukishima's hands stilled, and his heart stopped beating for a second.

  


It was Kuroo.

It was _Kuroo Tetsurou_ , looking at him as if he had seen a ghost himself. With those infuriatingly observant eyes and messy hair, Kuroo Tetsurou was his _neighbour_ , someone who went to his college, someone who he had to see _every day_ , when all Tsukishima wanted was to go far away from him.

Could this situation be any more worse than it already was?

  


Kuroo's face seemed to be drained of all of its blood, and with a slightly trembling voice, he softly asked, "T-Tsuki- Tsukishima..? You, uh, you, live.... _here_?"

  
As soon as he heard it, Tsukishima broke out of the stupor, dashed inside his apartment, and slammed the door on the older, too frenzied to see the stupefied form of Kuroo crumble down on the floor himself, out in the lonely corridor.

  


_This was real._

  


  
He couldn't help it, now that everything was spilling over, bursting at the seams so suddenly. Harsh, painful tears streaked his cheeks and blotted his face, Tsukishima's long, pale fingers clutching at his short blonde strands, and pulling mercilessly. His throat burned, and he pressed a hand forcefully on his mouth as a helpless scream ripped out from his throat. His whole body shook with spasms and shivers, his cries spilling through every happy memory, every moment when he thought he had managed to overcome his experiences. All too suddenly, he was back- back into his sixteen-year body, back to the last volleyball training camp he had gone to, with Kuroo as the third year captain of Nekoma high school. All too suddenly, he was back to the last night they both had spent together out of their rooms, when it had suddenly blown down to hell.

All the memories were coming back now, without filter, without any blockage, and it was so painful, so overwhelming, that his cries only doubled. He clawed at his scalp, his throat burning up, and he shut his eyes tightly in despair. His glasses were askew, his vision was black, but he could still see himself- his younger self- trying to run blindly through a dark corridor as an unknown shadow chased after him, laughing and malicious. _"Leave me alone!!"_ he had shouted, loud enough for others to wake up, but they never did, and they never came. No one, no one came looking for him that night, even though he broke the rules, even though he was in danger. Only Kuroo had came, only he had found him, but now, Tsukishima didn't want him to- was Kuroo never going to leave him again?

Somehow, he was more afraid of _that_ idea, than when he had been running away from that ghostly form three years ago, who had been intent on killing him in the most painful way possible.

He didn't want to stay here, not with Kuroo- he wanted to go back home, back to Miyagi, college degrees be damned. He didn't want to stay here, because he knew he couldn't survive here, not like this, not being so near to Kuroo. But all of a sudden, Tsukishima _knew_ that he couldn't return home. How could he leave everything behind, and just return, without any proper explanation? No one knew what happened to them three years ago, and if he wanted to keep it a secret, then he'd have to stay. _Right here_.

  


_"No matter where you run, where you hide, I'm going to find you. I'm going to find you, and then, I'll find your friend. And when we're together, let's play a game- okay, **Tsukki**?"_

  


Tsukishima's cries withered, as the reality of the situation finally settled in. Kuroo was here, Kuroo was his neighbour, and he also went to his college. If he wanted to stay in Tokyo, then he would have to bear with it, and though the mere thought of it made his head spin, Tsukishima knew there was no other way out. He would have to deal with this as it was, and he was going to do it.

His shaky conviction only crumbled more though, as he realized he might never get away from here. Was he always going to be like this- stuck brokenly in the past, without being able to move on? Was he always going to be in pain like this? Was he never going to forget his sufferings, and try to live a normal life again? Was Kuroo always going to be so close to him wherever he went?

  


Did Tsukishima always have to try and live beside the very person who had _raped_ him three years ago, without having any other way to run? His subdued cries shook his body more than it made him tear up, but the sheer helplessness of the thought had his mind reeling again. With a hazy mind, he tilted his head back on the door, sinking to the ground, and closed his eyes from the pain. Was he never going to grow out of this feeling? Would he always remain this broken and weak, throughout his life?

Tsukishima wasn't conscious enough to answer his own questions, and instead, he sunk into the realm of unconsciousness, never really knowing what happened on the other side of the door, to the boy who had been just as affected, but didn't dare to show his suffering. Slowly, his hiccups died, all of his systems shut down, and the world around dipped into darkness.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so... i hope some of the confusion's clear, and this plot finally makes some sense (?). Next chapter, we're gonna deal with their pasts, and other characters are gonna get introduced, too, so... look forward to that? And if you're liking this so far, then please, please feel free to share your opinions below, I would love to hear them! Each kudos brightens my day, and every comment makes me so happy, i can't explain! 
> 
> Anyways, if you liked this story, then stay tuned, and till then, bye bye, and wherever you are, I hope that you have a good day/night!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so, welcome to my new story! This is the first time I'm experimenting with a dark plot, and well, I might have just found my ideal genre?? I don't know, but this turned out to be so much better than I anticipated, and well, let's see where it goes (to think that I finished writing a whole chapter in one day, however short- I still can't get over it!). Anyways, this is just the prologue, so not much of dialogues, and more overshadowing, but well, I'll be posting the second chapter shortly (I hope), so it might clear some confusion soon.
> 
> Now, if you liked this chapter, then I'm super glad, but if any of you want to seriously continue this, then pay heed to some serious WARNINGS first:
> 
> 1)This story is heavily filled with Rape/non-con elements, like REALLY heavily, so DO NOT read this if you're uncomfortable, or don't like it. This is a DARK!fic, so there will be extensively graphic mentions of it, too.
> 
> 2)This story will also contain things like physical abuse, suicidal thoughts, and trauma, and take heed of the tags, so if you don't like it, stay away from this!
> 
> If, despite all these warnings, you would like to continue reading this, then you are very, very welcome! I write stories because I love writing, and it is something I enjoy, so, I really won't like it if my work hurts, or has any negative effect on anyone in any way. That being said, if you liked this chapter so far, then I would love to know what you think about it in the comments, and well, I hope to see you again next chapter!
> 
> Have a good day/night! <33


End file.
